GREETINGS FROM UNCLE ‘B’ (LXXIV)

NEWS Monday 25th August 2014, 8:18pm

by Brian Gray

  Edinburgh Monarchs

By far, arithmetic was my best subject at school but even I, with the help of a slide-rule, a calculator and an abacus, cannot work out which six teams are going to qualify for the 2014 Premier League Play-offs!

Workington and Peterborough for instance have plenty of matches in hand and could make it along with our neighbour Glasgow who now have an outside mathematical chance of creeping in! With the cut-off date now three weeks away, it would be a shame if any one particular side failed to make it because they couldn't squeeze in sufficient fixtures but deserved to be there on merit. We're into double-header territory and it is now quite obvious that the extra two home and away fixtures was a bad idea. I for one hope that idea gets binned and never used again! The Scotwaste Monarchs now have a double-header on September 12th against Redcar and Newcastle but I am starting to wonder if it will be our trip to Glasgow on the Sunday after that which might determine where we finish at the cut-off! Imagine if we required, say, one league point at Ashfield to finish top and get first pick!

Talking of double-headers, I had a wee look back at our first Armadale D/H on the September 11th 2009 which was against Rye House and Stoke. I spotted that admission was £22 for an adult which makes £24 next month exceptionally good value for money! Going back to 2009, we had another D/H the following week and we scored 60 minimum in all four matches!

It's been fun at the gate this last few weeks. Ed's Birthday Bash was curtailed by the rain for the Newcastle match and we had the second half of it when Somerset were here! He gave out the remainder of the crowns and Lion bars to the kids who were thrilled to see his throne! Geoff Craythorne has been telling folk about his wee amble up Ben Nevis and we welcomed Berwick Bandit's mascot – Bertie the Bear last week to the track. Another friend for Ed I think!

This Friday sees the return of the Glasgow Tigers for a Premier League match. Some folk have said that they are too frequent visitors but it's been three months since their last appearance and they're a different team now to what they were back in May! It will be the first time we'll have seen Viktor Palovaara (see, I resisted saying Pavlova) and Rusty, Kevin and Theo are no slouches around the Dale. All it needs is for Aarnio and Lykke to kick in and it could be a close match. I look forward to greeting all the Tigers fans as they come through the gate but everyone is welcome at the NEW Armadale experience. Surely must be the best night out in West Lothian! I look forward to seeing you all. Take care!

Uncle ‘B’